Organic evaporators are a tool for the production of organic light-emitting diodes (OLED). OLEDs are a special type of light-emitting diodes in which the emissive layer comprises a thin-film of certain organic compounds. Organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) are used in the manufacture of television screens, computer monitors, mobile phones, other hand-held devices, etc. for displaying information. OLEDs can also be used for general space illumination. The range of colors, brightness, and viewing angle possible with OLED displays are greater than that of traditional LCD displays because OLED pixels directly emit light and do not require a back light. Therefore, the energy consumption of OLED displays is considerably less than that of traditional LCD displays. Further, the fact that OLEDs can be manufactured onto flexible substrates results in further applications. A typical OLED display, for example, may include layers of organic material situated between two electrodes that are all deposited on a substrate in a manner to form a matrix display panel having individually energizable pixels. The OLED is generally placed between two glass panels, and the edges of the glass panels are sealed to encapsulate the OLED therein.
There are many challenges encountered in the manufacture of such display devices. In one example, there are numerous labor intensive steps necessary to encapsulate the OLED between the two glass panels to prevent possible contamination of the device. In another example, different sizes of display screens and thus glass panels may require substantial reconfiguration of the process and process hardware used to form the display devices. Generally, there is a desire to manufacture OLED devices on large area substrates.
One step in the manufacturing of large scale OLED displays, which brings various challenges, is the masking of the substrate, e.g. for deposition of patterned layers. Further, known systems typically have a small overall material utilization, e.g. of <50%.
Therefore, there is a continuous need for new and improved systems, apparatuses and methods for forming devices such as OLED display devices.